Refrigeration module and refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12359862-B2
Application number	US-202017789745-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 1, 2020
Priority date	Jan 6, 2020
Publication date	Jul 15, 2025
Grant date	Jul 15, 2025

Abstract

A refrigeration module, comprising: a module body, in which an installation space is defined; and a refrigeration system disposed in the installation space for use in generating cold, wherein a cold supply port is provided on the module body, the cold supply port is configured to be detachably connected to an external pipeline, and the cold generated by the refrigeration system is supplied to the external pipeline by the cold supply port. Further provided by the present invention is a refrigerator that has the refrigeration module. By means of separating the refrigeration module and a storage portion, the storage portion does not need to give way to the refrigeration system, and the internal volume of the refrigerator may be greatly increased; and the refrigeration module may be freely matched with one or more of the same or different storage portions as needed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A refrigeration module, comprising:
a module body, defining a mounting space; and
a refrigeration system, disposed in the mounting space and used for generating cooling capacity; wherein
a cold supply port is disposed in the module body, the cold supply port is configured to be detachably connected to an external pipeline, and cooling capacity generated by the refrigeration system is supplied into the external pipeline by the cold supply port,
wherein the refrigeration system is a compression refrigeration system having a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator,
wherein the module body comprises:
an evaporator compartment in which the evaporator is disposed; and
a compressor compartment, disposed separately from and located behind the evaporator compartment, the compressor and the condenser being disposed in the compressor compartment,
wherein the evaporator compartment comprises a box body and a cover plate,
wherein the box body has a bottom wall and side walls, and the box body defines an upward opening,
wherein the cover plate is located above the box body and is configurable to close the opening, and a containing cavity of the evaporator is defined between the cover plate and the box body,
wherein the cold supply port is formed in the rear end of the cover plate in an up-down direction, and
wherein the air return port is formed in the front end of the cover plate in the up-down direction, the air return port is configured to be detachably connected to an external pipeline, and external air flows into the containing cavity via the air return port;
wherein the refrigeration system also has a centrifugal fan, which is disposed in the evaporator compartment, located behind the evaporator, and used for promoting flowing of the cooling capacity to the cold supply port, and a volute of the centrifugal fan is placed to be inclined upwards from front to rear; wherein the refrigeration system further has a heat dissipation fan; the bottom of the compressor compartment has a supporting plate, and the supporting plate comprises a first section and a second section extending forwards from a front end of the first section; the compressor, the heat dissipation fan and the condenser are successively disposed on the first section in a transverse direction, and a bottom air inlet and a bottom air outlet are formed in the second section at an interval in the transverse direction, wherein the condenser is adjacent to the bottom air inlet, and the compressor is adjacent to the bottom air outlet; the heat dissipation fan is configured to promote that ambient air in a space, between a bottom of the refrigeration module and a support surface on which the refrigeration is located, and around the bottom air inlet enters the compressor compartment from the bottom air inlet, and sequentially passes through the condenser and the compressor, and then flows from the bottom air outlet to the space so as to dissipate heat from the compressor and the condenser; wherein the refrigeration module further comprises a special-shaped plate comprising a bottom horizontal section located at a front side of the bottom of the refrigeration module, a front end of the second section being connected with a rear end of the bottom horizontal section such that the supporting plate and the bottom horizontal section jointly form a bottom wall of the refrigeration module; and a bent section, bending and extending upwards and backwards from the rear end of the bottom horizontal section to a position above the supporting plate, so as to form a top of the compressor compartment.

2. The refrigeration module according to claim 1 , wherein
an electrical connection port is further formed in the rear end of the cover plate in the up-down direction, the electrical connection port is configured to be detachably connected to an external pipeline having a power supply line, and the power supply line is introduced into the refrigeration module via the electrical connection port; the electrical connection port is formed in the lateral portion of the cold supply port in a transverse direction.

3. The refrigeration module according to claim 1 , wherein
the evaporator comprises a plurality of fins disposed in parallel and a coil pipe penetrating through the fins, an airflow channel is defined between adjacent fins, and the evaporator is transversely placed in the evaporator compartment so that the airflow channel extends in a front-rear direction.

4. A refrigerator, comprising:
one or more storage portions, a corresponding storage space being defined in each storage portion; and
the refrigeration module according to claim 1 ; wherein
the one or more storage portions and the refrigeration module are disposed separately, and the cooling capacity flows out of the refrigeration module from the cold supply port and then flows into the storage portion via the pipeline.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein
at least a part of the pipeline is a vacuum pipe;
the vacuum pipe comprises an outer pipe, an inner pipe and an end sealing connection piece, wherein the outer pipe is disposed outside the inner pipe in a sleeving mode and is disposed at an interval from the inner pipe; the end sealing connection piece is configured to be sandwiched between the outer pipe and the inner pipe to seal and fix the outer pipe and the inner pipe, and a vacuum cavity is defined among the outer pipe, the inner pipe and the end sealing connection piece; the outer pipe is made of a metal pipe fitting; the inner pipe is made of a metal pipe fitting; the end sealing connection piece is made of quartz glass.

6. The refrigeration module according to claim 1 , wherein the bent section comprises a first inclined section, a second inclined section, a third inclined section and a top horizontal section, wherein the first inclined section extends upwards from the rear end of the bottom horizontal section, the second inclined section extends backwards and upwards from an upper end of the first inclined section, the third inclined section extends backwards and upwards from an upper end of the second inclined section, and the top horizontal section extends backwards from an upper end of the third inclined section to cover a position above the first section of the supporting plate.

Assignees

• Qingdao haier refrigerator co ltd
• Haier Smart Home Co Ltd

Inventors

• Fei Bin
• Liu Zhanzhan
• Zhu Xiaobing
• Li Peng
• Wang Changzhi

Classifications

• F25D23/003

  for cooling refrigerating machinery · CPC title

• F25D19/02

  plug-in type · CPC title

• F25D15/00 Primary

  Devices not covered by group F25D11/00 or F25D13/00, e.g. non-self-contained movable devices · CPC title

• F25D11/02 Primary

  with cooling compartments at different temperatures · CPC title

• F25D19/00 Primary

  Arrangement or mounting of refrigeration units with respect to devices {or objects to be refrigerated, e.g. infrared detectors} · CPC title